A 28 year-old woman was arrested in Miami Wednesday after she was caught sneaking into a high school and posing as a student in order to boost her Instagram following.
The culprit, Audrey Francisquini, must have been inspired after watching Drew Barrymore’s 1999 classic “Never Been Kissed,” because she went to great lengths to disguise herself as an “average teen” — even though her ruse ultimately didn’t work.
According to the Washington Post, Francisquini arrived at Miami’s American Senior High School “with a backpack slung over her shoulders, a painting under one arm and a skateboard under the other.” (If that makes you think of the Steve Buscemi “how do you do, fellow kids” scene from “30 Rock,” you’re not alone.)
Francisquini apparently went through all this trouble because she wanted to boost her Instagram following. A security guard at the high school did approach her, but Francisquini said she was a student looking for the registration office.
Predictably, Francisquini didn’t try to sneak into any classes. Instead, she was caught handing out flyers with her Instagram handle on them and also posted videos of herself roaming the school, CBS 4 Miami reported.
Francisquini also interfered with students’ ability to go to class — security camera footage from inside the school showed her barring students from entering a classroom by trying to force them to take the papers with her Instagram handle on them.
Someone needs to tell Francisquini that you can just buy bots (fake social media accounts) to boost your following. Sure, they’re not cheap, but neither is her $16,500 bail.
As is the case with pretty much anyone who decides to involve social media while committing a crime, Francisquini was caught partly because of her posts. Investigators were able to identify her through her Instagram page and subsequently arrested her at her house. She was charged with felony trespassing, resisting arrest without violence and misdemeanor interfering with a school. Miami news outlet Local 10 also reported Francisquini was ordered to stay away from the school, or else risk further run-ins with the law.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools told CBS 4 in a statement, “This is an unfortunate incident involving a female who trespassed on school grounds under false pretenses. The individual, who posed as a student needing assistance, was approached by school personnel who recognized that she did not belong on campus.”
The school district added it’s conducting a “thorough review” into how Francisquini was able to get into the school.